A Continent of Villages, to 1500Out of Many Chapter 1

Key Topics•The peopling of the Americas by migrants

from Asia•The adaptation of native cultures to the

regions of North America•The increase in complexity of many native

societies following the development of farming

•The nature of Indian cultures in the three major regions of European invasion and settlement

Finish the Saying:

•In fourteen-hundred ninety two….

•Why do we care about this fact in history?

What events led to the migration of Asian peoples into North America?

“Why do you call us Indians?”• When Columbus had arrived in the

Caribbean, he thought he had landed in the East Indies, thus calling the people inhabiting the island Indios

• Term later transformed into the common English word “Indians” which covers a wide variety of peoples

• Other terms: Amerindians & Native Americans

• Native Americans referred to themselves using their own names (Lenni Lenape, Lakota, Dine, etc.)

• Europeans assigned their own names to the groups (Delawares, Sious, Apache, etc.)

Transoceanic Migrations

•When explorers first landed in the Americas, they initially thought it was a part of Asia

•When it was confirmed to be a “new world” theories of where the native people came from began to emerge

•According to Judeo-Christian belief, they had to have migrated from Europe/Asia since that is where man/woman was first created

•However, according to the oral histories of many native tribes, their claim is that they have always lived in the Americas

A Land Bridge

Beringia•During the Ice Age,

glaciers held much of the Earth’s water making sea levels much lower than today

•Geologists believe that there was a 750 mile wide land bridge connecting Asia and North America

•Believed to have been ice-free and treeless

Global Warming & The End of the Ice Age

•Roughly 15,000 years ago, the glaciers started melting▫Sea levels rose▫Melt water created the lake

& river systems of today•Beringia flooded; no longer

a viable land bridge•New weather patterns

dramatically changed the ecology of the region

Native Technology - Clovis

•Considered to be the first of American technology

•Art of making fluted blades & lance points

•Technology spread quickly throughout the continent

In what ways did native communities adapt to the distinct region of North

America?

Hunting• Because many of the large

mammals became extinct after the end of the Ice Age, many Indian tribes turned the hunting focus to the bison (buffalo)

• Used a technology called Folsom▫ Similar to the Clovis▫ More delicate, but also deadlier▫ Would attach to wooden spear-

throwers• Buffalo jump

▫ Required a systematic approach agreed upon by the hunters

▫ Would kill multitudes of bison at one time

▫ Many believe this shows they had primitive preservation knowledge

A buffalo can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and live as long as 30 years.

The HuntThe Hunt• For thousands of years,

Native Americans used buffalo jumps to kill the creatures.

• They would place some of the hunters on either side of a path (usually wearing wolf skins) which they would use to drive large numbers of animals over a steep cliff.

• It wasn’t until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500’s that the horse began to be used by Native Americans. It quickly became an important part of native people’s lives.

Typical buffalo jump

Native Americans did not hunt using horses until the 1500’s

Desert Life

•In the Great Basin (present day UT & NV), the effects of global warming created a desert where there used to be inland seas

•peoples of this region were typically nomadic

•Hunted small game & foraged for food (roots & seeds)

•Very tight-knit communities•Didn’t believe in extensive wealth or

hoarding; rather in sharing & gifting

Forest Life•“Forest efficiency” = a

comfortable & secure lifebased on sophisticatedknowledge of the rich &diverse available resources

•Hunted small game & gathered seeds and nuts•Burned woodland areas to promote new

growth•Evidence also suggests that they lived in more

permanent settlements▫Suggests that “forest efficiency” was viable

What were the consequences of the development of farming for native

communities?

Development of Farming• At the end of the Stone Age, 4 regions developed

farming:▫Southeast Asia = rice▫Middle East = wheat▫Andean Mtns = potatoes▫Mexico = maize (corn)

• Potatoes & corn considered a“miracle crop” which helpedspur population growth

• Mexico also grew crops suchas beans, squash, tomatoes,peppers, avocados, cocoa, &vanilla

Farming Shapes Society• A foraging society might require 100 sq. mi. to

support 100 people, whereas a farming community only needs 1 sq. mi.

• Families grouped into clans & eventually into classes• Division of labor based on gender

▫Male = hunting, development of tools▫Female = gathering of food, maintain the home▫Both = working in the fields

• Considered to be a more complex society, however, they were less stable & required bureaucratic management

• Vulnerable to changes in climate, as well as soil depletion & erosion

• More subjective to malnutrition & tooth decay

Mississippian Society• Important technological innovations

▫The bow & arrow improved hunting

▫New variety of maize (Northern Flint) Could be grown in northern climates due to shorter

maturation period▫Flint hoes

Increased farming productivity• Master Maize farmers• Lived in permanent settlements along the floodplains• Complex society: urbanization, social classes, craft

specialization, trade▫Lacked a formal writing system

Warfare & Violence• Some hunting groups would

raid farming communities for food

• Also, farming communities would fight with one another to gain land for crops

• Bow and arrow was amongst the deadliest war weapons

• Scalping was a common practice▫Believed one could capture a

warrior’s spirit by taking his scalp lock

What important differences were there between Indian societies in the Southwest, South, and

Northeast on the eve of colonization?

Population of Indian America

• Pop. estimates that there were roughly 5-10 million Native Americans in North America (excluding Mexico)

• The largest populations of the continent were concentrated in the Southwest, the South, and the Northeast

Cultural Regions: The Southwest

•Region had little rain fall in the summer which made farming hard

•Used rivers to develop irrigation farming▫Cultivated corn, beans, squash, sunflowers,

& cotton•Lived in rancerias – Spanish word for

dispersed settlements of Indian famers in the Southwest – and were known for being individualistic

•Some communities developed dry farming methods

Cultural Regions: The South

•Mild, moist climate with short winters & long summers

•Large animal resources were found in the forests & the mountains provided rich soil & water resources

•Were wiped out due to diseases introduced by early European colonization

•Formed cheifdoms; usually unstable•Celebrated agricultural & harvest fesitvals

Cultural Regions: The Northeast• Colder climate & varied

geography▫ Coastal plains, mountain

highlands, great rivers, lakes,and valleys

• Grew a variety of crops▫ Corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers

• Lived in extended family homes• Familiar with warfare; evident by

the large walls/barriers surrounding the communities• Five Iroquois chiefdoms/nations:

▫ Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, & Senecas▫ Formed a confederacy which banned warfare between

member tribes

Conclusions•Indians adapted to their

varied environments and created a rich multitude of cultures

•North America was not a “virgin” continent

•“Columbus did not discover a new world, he established contact between two worlds, both already old.” –J.H. Perry